Second Chances
by JackieStarSister
Summary: Two songfics about Jet, how he changed, and how he tried to help the Gaang. Includes some Jetara. Chapter 1: "What Have I Done?" from Les Misérables. Chapter 2: A parody of "Scarborough Fair." Please review!
1. What Have I Done?

_Published December 11, 2011_

**Author's ****Note:** The lyrics are from the song "What Have I Done? (Valjean's Soliloquy)" from the musical _Les __Misérables_; the music is by Claude-Michel Schonberg, French lyrics by Alain Boublil, English adaptation by Herbert Kretzmer. (If you haven't heard it, look it up; it's really good, with intense music and emotion.) The quote is from the book of the same name, in fact from the same point in the story as the song.

I've been sitting on this song for a while now, wanting to write a songfic. What made me finish it? First, I received excellent reviews for my songfics about Toph. Second, today I watched the episode "Lake Laogai" for the first time. They never air it on television anymore; but I actually found a Website where I could watch it. Just take out the spaces: _h __t __t __p __: __/ __/ __w __w __w __. __w __a __t __c __h __c __a __r __t __o __o __n __o __n __l __i __n __e __. __c __o __m __/ __a __v __a __t __a __r __– __b __o __o __k__ – __2__ – __e __a __r __t __h__ – __e __p __i __s __o __d __e__ – __1 __7_

If you like to read about Jet as a villain, take a look at my story "Beauty and the Blue Spirit." If you prefer to read about Jet as a hero, check out my story "The Last Misérables" (yes, another combination of Les Miz and ATLA).

* * *

><p>Did a voice whisper in his ear that he had just passed through the decisive hour of his destiny, that there was no longer a middle course for him, that if, thereafter, he were not the best of men, he would be the worst, that he must not, so to speak, climb higher than the bishop or fall lower than the convict; that, if he wanted to become good, he must become an angel; that, if he wanted to remain evil, he must become a monster?<br>~ Victor Hugo, _Les __Misérables_

_What have I done?  
><em>_Good spirits, what have I done?  
><em>_Become a thief in the night,  
><em>_Become a dog on the run  
><em>_And have I fallen so far,  
><em>_And is the hour so late  
><em>_That nothing remains but the cry of my hate,  
><em>_The cries in the dark that nobody hears,  
><em>_Here where I stand at the turning of the years?_

Jet didn't have an all-at-once turnaround or sudden epiphany. The change was gradual, but still visible – like a fault line forming in the earth.

Initially, all he felt was anger and frustration. But under the anger, he felt … hurt, somehow. Wounded.

He knew he had just lost three valuable friends and allies. So there was some cause for regret.

But the question that kept nagging him was: _What __had __he __done __wrong?_

_If there's another way to go  
><em>_I missed it eight long years ago  
><em>_My life was a war that could never be won  
><em>_They gave me a number and murdered Valjean  
><em>_When they chained me and left me for dead  
><em>_Just for stealing a mouthful of bread_

He had been surprised when he saw Katara cry. He wanted to comfort her; but the ironic thing was, he was the one who had hurt her.

He had never cared about a girl the way he cared about Katara. (Once or twice he had wondered about Smellerbee, but she was never more than a sister to him.)

_You're __a __monster, __and __I __trusted __you!_ That had stung. So had the ice that she had encased him in.

Did she hate him now?

"Girls don't like being tricked," Smellerbee told him. Jet didn't need to ask who she was talking about; she could tell what was on his mind.

He hadn't liked lying to Katara. He just thought it would be easier that way. Sometimes it was better not to know. She was still a little naïve about war. Sometimes you had to fight fire with fire. That was just the way things were.

_Yet why did I allow that man  
><em>_To touch my soul and teach me love?  
><em>_He treated me like any other  
><em>_He gave me his trust  
><em>_He called me brother  
><em>_My life he claims for God above  
><em>_Can such things be?  
><em>_For I had come to hate the world  
><em>_This world that always hated me_

_Guilt_. Jet cursed the word for that emotion. But it crept into the back of his head, growing and twisting inside him. It made him clench his fists and shake his head forcefully and roll over in bed. When he tried to push it away, it became more persistent, almost haunting him.

_You __became __the __traitor __when __you __stopped __protecting __innocent __people_.

Sometimes he felt inexplicable anger toward Katara. She had done this to him, caused him to question everything he did, doubt everything he believed in. Why did she have to show up and ruin everything?

He hated her.

No, he didn't.

What had he done wrong? What had he done to make her hate him?

The answer was so obvious he almost missed it. They were mad at him for trying to flood the town, and for beating the old Fire Nation man, and for deliberately lying to them.

He felt it was all justified. War changed the rules. They fought to survive, and to carry on the memory of those they had lost.

What else could they do? What other choice was there?

_There__'__s __always __another __choice,_ that annoying thing called conscience reminded him.

_Take an eye for an eye!  
><em>_Turn your heart into stone!  
><em>_This is all I have lived for!  
><em>_This is all I have known!_

For a long time, the Freedom Fighters' only goal had been to free the village in Gaipan. But Sokka had scratched that off the list. So now what could they do?

They had to evacuate the forest, now that the villagers and the Fire Nation soldiers knew where their hideout was.

"Maybe it's for the best," Smellerbee said as they left the treehouse behind. "Maybe we'll find a new life now."

The Duke and Pipsqueak – the youngest and oldest – decided to stick together. Sneers, the quiet loner, opted to go on his own. For a moment Jet stood indecisively, wondering what path his life was about to take. Would he go on alone?

"Jet? Longshot and I are gonna go to Ba Sing Se. Do you want to come with us?"

Jet was silent for a moment, considering. Then he smiled at her. "Yeah. I will. Thanks guys."

_One word from him and I'd be back  
><em>_Beneath the lash, upon the rack  
><em>_Instead he offers me my freedom  
><em>_I feel my shame inside me like a knife  
><em>_He told me that I have a soul,  
><em>_How does he know?  
><em>_What spirit comes to move my life?  
><em>_Is there another way to go?_

The good-byes were awkward and sorrowful. How did you say good-bye to the only friends and family you'd had for years?

No one made a motivational speech or gave reassuring consolation. They were just a bunch of lost kids trying to pick up the pieces of their lives.

Smellerbee spoke up quietly. "My mom used to say, it's never too late to start over."

That day, Jet finally came to a decision.

He had been wrong to hurt innocent people. Sokka and Katara and Aang had been right about that. From now on, there would be no fighting, unless absolutely necessary.

It would be hard to let go of the part of him that was a Freedom Fighter; for years he had made it the only part of himself that existed. But there were other ways that you could fight for freedom. Maybe he would find some in Ba Sing Se.

Jet, Smellerbee, and Longshot paused for a moment and turned to look at their forest home one last time. The wooden rope bridges swayed in the wind. The place had a deserted look to it, where there used to be warriors and refugees and kids, swinging and fighting and surviving and living. It had been their home – for many it was their first real home.

It had been a part of their lives, and they couldn't deny or forget it. But now it was time to put it to rest and move on.

Jet turned and walked with his friends out of the forest. That part of his life was over. Now, he supposed, a new chapter had to begin.

_I am reaching, but I fall  
><em>_And the night is closing in  
><em>_And I stare into the void  
><em>_To the whirlpool of my sin  
><em>_I'll escape now from this world  
><em>_From the world of Jean Valjean  
><em>_Jean Valjean is nothing now  
><em>_Another story must begin!_


	2. Are You Going to Ba Sing Se Fair?

_Published January 25, 2012_

**Author's Note:** "Scarborough Fair" has the singer/narrator send a message to a former lover, giving him/her a series of impossible tasks to perform. If the lover succeeds in these tasks, then the singer/narrator will take him/her back. I thought this would fit the situation with Katara and Jet.

I chose ginseng because it is said to be an aphrodisiac, and White Dragon (a plant that exists only in the Avatar universe) because Iroh claims its tea is "so delicious, it's heartbreaking." I don't know if thyme exists in the Avatar universe (I even checked "Cuisine in the World of Avatar" on AvatarWiki), so I replaced that word with "time" so it would fit the rhyme scheme, and because time is needed to heal wounds.

If you like this song, read _Impossible_ by Nancy Werlin, one of my favorite books. It's romantic, but not in a mushy way; it's fantasy, but it is very real.

* * *

><p><em>Are you going to Ba Sing Se Fair?<br>__Ginseng tea, White Dragon and time  
><em>_Remember me to one who lives there  
><em>_He was once a true love of mine_

Jet felt like the past several weeks had been a kind of haze. The first clear recent memory he had, was of finding a "Lost Appa" leaflet.

He was surprised. Aang, Katara and Sokka were in the city? What coincidence – or maybe kismet.

Once he got over the shock, he felt happy, for the first time in a long time. Scared and apprehensive, too, but mostly happy.

Maybe fate was giving him a second chance.

If only Katara would be so kind.

_Tell him to make me a cambric shirt  
><em>_Ginseng tea, White Dragon and time  
><em>_Without a seam or needlework  
><em>_Then he'll be a true love of mine_

He found Katara alone, putting up posters in an alleyway. Jet wasn't sure if this circumstance was good or bad for him; it meant he didn't have to deal with Sokka and Aang, but it could make Katara more uncomfortable.

"Katara."

Startled, she pivoted and gasped, clearly shocked. Jet saw that she was blushing, too.

Jet smiled, for a moment almost feeling his old confidence back. "I think I can help you."

This was the wrong thing to say. He was very nearly frozen alive again.

"Katara! I've changed!"

"Tell it to some other girl, Jet!"

_No,_ he thought. He wouldn't tell her; he would show her.

_Tell him to wash it in yonder dry well  
><em>_Ginseng tea, White Dragon and time  
><em>_Where water never sprang, nor drop of rain fell  
><em>_Then he'll be a true love of mine_

"I'll come with you." This would give him more opportunity to help them, to show them that he had changed, and to be with Katara.

"We don't need your help," Katara said firmly.

"Why won't you trust me?"

"Gee, I wonder …" Katara mused sarcastically.

But she didn't try to make him leave, and no one mentioned it again.

Jet was almost afraid to let himself hope, but now, he couldn't help wondering … would it be possible for him and Katara, to be "together"?

It would be a long journey to Whale Tail Island. Time to heal, time to get to know each other, time to show her that he did care about her.

_Tell him to find me an acre of land  
><em>_Ginseng tea, White Dragon and time  
><em>_Between the salt water and the sea strand  
><em>_Then he'll be a true love of mine_

On their way out, Jet pulled Katara to the back of the group. "Look, I know I hurt you, and … I'm sorry."

Katara looked at him dubiously.

"What can I do to make it up to you?"

Katara shook her head. "It's impossible."

_Impossible for me to make it up to you, or impossible for you to forgive me?_

The past eight years of Jet's life had been focused on doing the impossible. And now he would do it again.

Katara looked hard at him. "If you help us find Appa," she said grudgingly, "then I'll forgive you."

Jet smiled, satisfied. He had already wanted to do that, just to help them. But now, he had to do it to prove himself to Katara.

He surprised her with a one-armed hug. "I won't let you down," he promised.

Katara shook him off roughly, but Jet could see her blush.

_Tell him to plow it with a gorilla-goat's horn  
><em>_Ginseng tea, White Dragon and time  
><em>_And sow it all over with one grain of corn  
><em>_Then he'll be a true love of mine_

Any hope he had had for a future with Team Avatar was quickly dashed. But, he still had a final opportunity to help them.

"Foolish boy." Long Feng's voice was full of contempt. "You've chosen your own demise."

Jet didn't care. He wasn't going to betray his friends again, even if not doing so cost him his life.

He saw the look of concern on Katara's face when she saw him lying on the ground. It was a strange moment, having his friends all around him. Somehow, that made death seem real to him, even more than the pain itself did.

He felt Katara's hands press down on his chest; surprisingly, neither felt embarrassed by this. But after a moment she drew them away.

"I'm sorry," they said at the same time. Then they looked at each other in surprise.

"I can't heal you," Katara stated, bowing her head.

She felt Jet take her hand in his, about all the movement he could make then. "You already have, Katara."

_Tell him to reap it with a sickle of leather  
><em>_Ginseng tea, White Dragon and time  
><em>_And tie up the sheaves with a rope made of heather  
><em>_Then he'll be a true love of mine_

"Why?" Katara's voice was a strange blend of frustration, confusion, and despair. "Why did you do this?"

Jet looked at her. "You don't know?"

Blue eyes met brown for a long moment, a silent understanding passing between them.

The connection was broken by the voice of Smellerbee, always the realist. "You guys go find Appa. We'll take care of Jet."

"We're not going to leave you," Katara said adamantly. What kind of friend would she be if she left him at his most dire moment? She wanted to be with him at the end.

"There's no time," Longshot said quietly; it was the first and last time Katara and her friends ever heard him speak. "Just go. We'll take care of him. He's our leader."

Jet felt a surge of gratitude for his friends. He couldn't ask for anyone more loyal.

"Don't worry, Katara," Jet said tenderly. "I'll be fine." He smiled weakly up at her.

Katara closed her eyes in grief; when she opened them, they were full of tears.

She leaned over him suddenly, and kissed him on the cheek. "Good-bye, Jet," she whispered to him. Like the last time she said those words to him, her voice was full of grim resolve, but now it was also full of apology. They both wished they had time to tell each other everything they wanted to say.

_If he tells me he can't, I'll reply  
><em>_Ginseng tea, White Dragon and time  
><em>_"Let me know that at least you will try,  
><em>_Then you'll be a true love of mine."_

Ultimately, Jet wasn't able to find Appa for them. But because of him, they came closer than ever, and in the end they did find him. In a way, Jet had succeeded.

Katara looked wistfully at the surface of Lake Laogai. Was this how Sokka felt when Yue died? He hadn't been able to save her, while Katara hadn't been able to save Jet.

But at least Sokka was able to be with Yue when she died; he had been able to say good-bye; and she had become a spirit, so he could rest assured that she would always be with him. He felt her presence frequently, whenever the moon came out.

Katara hadn't said good-bye. She hadn't thanked him for helping them. She had never gotten to tell Jet that she forgave him.

She felt guilt, too; not just because she had been hard on him, but because he had died trying to help them. He died for her.

A small comfort was that now she could remember Jet as what she had originally thought him to be: a hero.

_"Love imposes impossible tasks,"  
><em>_Ginseng tea, White Dragon and time  
><em>_"Though never more than your own heart asks,  
><em>_And I must know you're a true love of mine."_


End file.
